A Letter about Crisis of the Earth between You and Me (Kindness, Goodness, and Benefaction)

Note: If you disagree with any content of this letter, please still treat it kindly.

Nowadays, media as well as educational and academic research organizations consider energy conservation and carbon reduction as solutions to slow down the exhaustion of resources on earth. However, the earth has suffered from too many human activities, both industrial and economic, and it is now difficult to heal, or to avoid further hurting the earth, merely by decreasing and slowing down consuming. The crisis of the earth is directly resulted from our unkind and greedy hearts, which cause the disasters around us.

The environment we live in depends on not only the air, water, buildings and visible spaces, but also how we interact with each other, and how we treat the environment, that is, the invisible forces, such as relationships and intentions. Human minds are gradually distorted, and in the pursuit of societal progress and economical growth, go astray and lose their natural states. We cause many damages to both the visible and invisible living environments. We believe, to improve our living environment, aside from energy conservation and carbon reduction, the most important thing is to elevate and purify the invisible human minds. This is also essential for human survival.

“Kindness, Goodness, and Benefaction” are the most important three components for us to improve our living environments. Kindness means that we fill ourselves up with love, and know how to show this love to others. Treat people around us with kindness. Goodness is to show benevolence and empathy. We should isolate ourselves from bad intentions and self-reflect at times, to make sure we do things out of good intentions. Benefaction is to perform good deeds that we are capable of doing, at any place, any time; for example, we can always help the elders, the weak, women and children cross the road. We can also always encourage our relatives and friends around us- we can try to help others, even if it is just a small matter. To perform a small good deed is like to throw a stone into a pond, the effects expand like the waves. That is to say, the power and influence of a small good deed are infinite. Such a kind-hearted attitude can generate positive strength and good-willed beliefs, and make us live peacefully. Benevolence brings good intentions and fortune for us, and helps us to avoid hurting others from vicious competing cycles. Beneficence brings possible happiness and convenience for our friends, and even the strangers we meet on the streets. We should all keep this kindness, goodness, and benefaction of heart every day, to keep away from evil deeds and disasters, and welcome good fate and good fortune. Also, doing so will remove barriers of people, and attract wealth and honor; unlimited hopes and bright futures come from inside of us.

The world is now a global village- if you are a Catholic or a Christian, may you pray to God, to protect our mother earth; if you are a Muslim, may you pray to Allah; if you are a Buddhist, may you pray to Buddha and Bodhisattva; if you believe in Taoism, may you pray to Gods of Taoism. Please pray to the Gods you believe in, to protect the earth, and to help you become a guardian of the earth.

Please help yourself, your friends and your family; please pay care to our society and to the earth. If you are comfortable with it, please help chant “Avalokiteshvara” for our world, beloved people, and our families. All good wills and good deeds can parinama (迴向) to “May the disasters of the world be eliminated. May all living creatures own happiness and peace.” We hope to collect the extended power of good will. Please pray for the disasters of the world to be eliminated by kindness, goodness, and benefaction of heart, so that our people can be happy and safe. The benefits to pray cannot be expressed in such limited words. No matter a public servant, an administration staff in the government, a waitress in a restaurant, a teacher, a lawyer, a senator, a doctor, a charity organization member, a volunteer, a housewife, an officer, or even still a student, we can all perform good deeds to influence the world.

Please help to forward this e-mail. Please perform good deeds to eliminate disasters of the world so that all the living creatures can go on living. All small good deeds in our daily life can parinama (迴向). Also, we can chant “Avalokiteshvara” a thousand times a day for parinama to occur (迴向). Good deeds come from within us, in our hearts. After all, we all live on the same earth; we should not let our friends, family, and our children face possible disasters. So start from now, save everyone- including ourselves.

He turns his mind away from those phenomena, and having done so, inclines his mind to the property of deathlessness: 'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.' (Jhana Sutta - Thanissaro Bhikkhu translation)

If you have asked me of the origination of unease, then I shall explain it to you in accordance with my understanding: Whatever various forms of unease there are in the world, They originate founded in encumbering accumulation. (Pārāyanavagga)

Exalted in mind, just open and clearly aware, the recluse trained in the ways of the sages:One who is such, calmed and ever mindful, He has no sorrows! -- Udana IV, 7

BuddhaStudent wrote:“May all living creatures [experience] happiness and peace.”

"As Buddhists, we should aim to develop relationships that are not predominated by grasping and clinging. Our relationships should be characterised by the brahmaviharas of metta (loving kindness), mudita (sympathetic joy), karuna (compassion), and upekkha (equanimity)."~post by Ben, Jul 02, 2009

The motivation is good. Now for the effort ... chanting is not a substitute for action.Reduce, re-use, recycle.Do something useful for another person, often.Tell your local politician you want more action, sooner, on renewable energy.Clean up a local waterway for the sake of the animals and plants living in it.etc.

Kim O'Hara wrote:The motivation is good. Now for the effort ... chanting is not a substitute for action.Reduce, re-use, recycle.Do something useful for another person, often.Tell your local politician you want more action, sooner, on renewable energy.Clean up a local waterway for the sake of the animals and plants living in it.etc.

Kim

Yes, I agree with Kim, and I would consider all of the above are nothing beyond "kindness, goodness, and benefaction".

Last edited by BuddhaStudent on Sat May 01, 2010 10:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

"Coca Cola " or "Aspidistra are also good words. But they have no mighty power that links us to perfection, holiness, nirvana, and inner peace. “Avalokiteshvara” is a holy Bodhisattva who vow to lead us and save us from pain. In Buddhism, “Avalokiteshvara” is very much related to human beings in this world. So, all of us should chant his/her name as possible as we can.

He turns his mind away from those phenomena, and having done so, inclines his mind to the property of deathlessness: 'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.' (Jhana Sutta - Thanissaro Bhikkhu translation)

Or we could Chant BP! BP! Fix that oil rig, because don't you see...BP, Oh BP, That old oil you spilled, It will hurt both you and me.Yeah, it's the old BP blues. Sing those blues all you like. Won't change anything.

To help you understand these responses a little, Theravada Buddhism is based primarily on the Tipitaka. In the Tipitaka, the subject of prayer and wishing in general is as explained by Tiltbillings... it is not through prayer that things are achieved, especially not global peace.

However, if people develop loving-kindness and compassion, then they become more peaceful individuals and better world citizens. They cause less suffering to others and help make the world a better place. If you wish to encourage Theravada Buddhists to make the world a better place, the way is not through encouraging supplication to Buddhas, bodhisattvas, Dhamma protectors or deities. Rather, it is through the cultivation of the brahma-viharas (divine abidings) - namely, metta (lovingkindness), karuna (compassion), upekkha (equanimity) and mudita (appreciative/sympathetic joy)... as well as encouraging good deeds, adherence to precepts, and opportunities for making merit.

Metta,Retro.

If you have asked me of the origination of unease, then I shall explain it to you in accordance with my understanding: Whatever various forms of unease there are in the world, They originate founded in encumbering accumulation. (Pārāyanavagga)

Exalted in mind, just open and clearly aware, the recluse trained in the ways of the sages:One who is such, calmed and ever mindful, He has no sorrows! -- Udana IV, 7